Regional managers are employees who are granted jurisdiction and responsibility for specific actions that take place within a given geographical location. The term is commonly used as part of a business structure, particularly with retail business and insurance corporations. Some non-profit organizations also include this position in their field organization. In just about every case, a manager of this type provides an important communication link between local operations and the organization headquarters.

In the retail industry, a regional manager is usually assigned to oversee the function of individual stores owned by a retail corporation. As part of the field organization for most large retailers, the stores are grouped into geographical jurisdictions known as regions. All the stores that are located within the boundaries of the region are considered the responsibility of the regional manager who is assigned to oversee their operation and compliance with corporate standards. In particularly large companies, the manager may be supported by district managers within the region.

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In order to carry out the duties of a regional manager in the retail industry, a person must develop a strong working relationship with the managers of the individual stores located in the region. Doing so makes it much easier to implement directives from the corporation and also collect feedback from the field and present it to the corporate officers in an organized manner. A regional retail manager usually is responsible for hiring and firing store managers, supporting each store manager in their efforts to make the stores successful, and ensuring that each store in the region is organized and functioning within the guidelines and directives put in place by the corporation.

The function of a regional manager in the insurance industry is somewhat similar. The manager will provide a line of communication from local insurance salespeople to the corporation, making it possible to ensure each agent is operating within the perimeters set by the company. The manager has the ability to hire and fire agents, recommend promotions, and reorganize the sales territory as necessary. As with the retail application, managers working in the insurance industry aid in the continuing education and remedial training of agents, and in general function as a support network to those who are actually engaged in the selling process.

Discuss this Article

anon345095Post 5

I'm currently a regional manager. I manage 10 offices and the key is to building a strong working relationship with each manager. Respect what your managers do on a regular basis and work together as a team to accomplish your goals. The worst part of the job is firing employees. I dread that part. I'm here to say it never gets easier.

anon239719Post 3

@calpat: Firing a manager is the easy part. I find it is harder to develop and work with a manager to bring out his or her best attributes for the job. Tell him to remember anyone can fire someone, but it's harder to work with and develop someone.

elizabeth2Post 2

Regional manager jobs are very important in a corporation that has a large number of stores located all over the place.

I can't imagine how these big corporations would succeed without people to act as a go between, and make sure everything is being run properly.

It's a big responsibility and I hold a lot of respect for people who do that kind of job.

calpatPost 1

This article was very helpful -- A regional manager position has just opened up for the company my husband works for, and we thought he'd be great for it, but wanted to look into the position a bit more before he tried to get it.

We already knew that he would have to work with the managers of each store in the region, making sure everything runs smoothly and according to corporate rules, but we didn't know that he may have the responsibility of hiring and firing the managers of those stores.

Firing people isn't his favorite thing, so this has definitely given him something to think about. Although I still think he'd be great for the job!

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